Genesis X
by UltimateIceman1
Summary: The X-Men start from the begining with Angel, Iceman, Jubilee, Shadowcat, and Bishop
1. Angels Among Us

Angels Among Us  
  
"Didja hear?"."I've seen them myself!"."Yeah, Warren, can you believe it?"."Some guys get all the luck"."First looks, then chicks, now this"."Wings, that's so cool!"  
The high school was alive with rumors. Even the teachers, who normally abstained from meddling in the lives of their students, were searching for every little snippet of information they could get from the students. The event had never taken place in their school before and it intrigued every member of the student body and faculty. For the first time in the history of Oakmont High School, one of the students had become a mutant.  
  
"The mutant phenomenon is exploding as numbers of mutants are being discovered every day. However, many reports of normal humans pretending to be mutants have also been heard. It appears that the admiration and attention that mutants are receiving are drawing out all sorts of people in an attempt to receive the same popularity. But when these phonies are asked to show off their powers to the onlookers their hopes of fame are dashed when the ex-fans drive them away with insults. Mutant fans are encouraging the shy members of the elite population to expose themselves in an attempt to meet more of the 'cool peeps' that are mutants."  
  
Warren Worthington the Third stepped into the Trigonometry class. It felt awkward because he had not gotten used to walking through doors yet with his new gifts. His footsteps echoed in the room as he walked towards his desk. It didn't take him long to realize that the class's silence was because of his entrance. Twenty-five sets of eyes were staring at Warren, and he had a feeling that it wasn't because of his good looks.  
Warren was used to people, well more like love-struck girls, staring at him. His dashing looks usually stood out in a crowd because most people seemed to think that they have seen him on television or in a magazine. His face wasn't the only perfect thing about him. He worked out regularly and had a ripped body, and to the delight of most parents, he pulled a four- point-oh grade point average. He was the pinnacle of perfection and the role-model of every student, and though it seemed like it couldn't go any higher, his popularity had increased ten-fold.  
The wings on Warren's back rustled as the glazes of the students started to get to him. "Um.Ms. Nolan?" Warren said to his teacher timidly.  
"Yes Warren? What can I help you with?" the teacher's tone was far- off, she was still dazed at the personage standing in front of her.  
"It's going to be kind of hard for me to sit down in my desk."  
Ms. Nolan snapped back into reality as she realized that she could help the wonder. "You're absolutely right. Class, today we're going to have our lesson outside!" she announced enthusiastically.  
The class erupted in cheers and the admiration of Warren grew as they realized it was because of him they were allowed this special privilege. They filed outside and walked to the field and found seats in the luscious grass. Many of the girls tried to save a spot for Warren in the hope that they may be able to touch the new developments.  
"Class, I believe that the lesson for today might have to be post- pond due to current events." More cheers from the class. "I'm sure that we all have the same thing on our mind. Warren, would you be willing to give us a demonstration?"  
Warren was hesitant, but the burst of pleas from the class eventually caused him to give in. He didn't like spreading his wings out for the one reason that every girl in the class came to love it. As the giant wings spanned to their full extent, the shirt on his body ripped off to expose his muscular chest. Gasps and giggles came from the crowd as they admired the beautiful wings and body.  
Within seconds Warren had managed to become airborne and flew high above the school. He had not used his wings much, but flight seemed to come naturally to Warren as he soared over his classmates. He ducked and weaved and dived and did all sorts of aerial tricks for his fans. The wind blew through his hair and across his body and he felt the pleasure of being a mutant. The wind made it hard for him to hear the cries of joy from below, but the noise was so loud that not even a hundred cannons could outdo the ground-level students.  
Warren descended and landed in the center of a circle of classmates. A couple days ago Warren felt that his mutant powers would have made him an outcast of society. Today he felt he was king of the world.  
  
Warren's fame didn't end with his classmates. The whole city was ablaze with fiery rumors of the seventeen year old boy who could fly. Press conferences and dinners of honor were held to praise the boy. Many people began to call him by the nickname the newspapers had given him, Angel.  
"Tell me, Angel, what were your first reactions when you had discovered that you were a mutant?"  
"I guess it was fear."  
"And why were you afraid?"  
"Well I had read about lynch mobs who had killed mutants whose mutations distinguished them from society too much. I guess I believed that it would happen to me since I had a giant pair of wings on my back."  
"Angel! Over here! Can you explain the feelings you have while flying?"  
"It's exhilarating. Imagine riding a giant roller coaster in the sky and you're about half-way there."  
Questions from the press kept on coming. Pictures of Warren were all over the news. His face could be seen on billboards, magazines, television. He was named the most popular mutant of 2002 by People magazine. The name Angel was known all over the United States. Soon a man in Westchester, New York would come to change Angel's life.  
  
"Mom! Can you hold all my calls? I'm going flying," Warren yelled down to his mother. He approached his window and overlooked his giant yard. With all of the money he had acquired through the promotions his family was able to buy a mansion. He had a room on the third floor which provided easy take-offs for mid-day flights.  
Warren launched himself through the window sill and soared through the air. The sensation of flying never got old for him; each flight was as good as the last. The breeze in his hair, the scenery flashing by, the adrenaline pumping through his veins; the feelings were amazing. On clear days Warren would just forget about the reporters knocking on his doors and officials at the phone and just take-off flying through the air. It was his haven, his sanctuary. Becoming a mutant was the best thing that ever happened to him.  
While Warren was out flying he loved to explore. Today he had a nagging feeling in the back of his head to follow a route that he had never taken before. He glided over a patch of trees and past a hill. After he had flown for a couple of miles he saw something in the distance. As he approached it he realized that it was a man sitting in a chair, no, not a chair, a wheelchair.  
Warren landed in front of the mysterious character and examined him. He seemed in his late thirties, he was bald, and apparently couldn't use his legs. His arms were somewhat muscular, probably from pushing the wheelchair everywhere. The man was staring at Warren, not a penetrating glare, but an "I've been expecting" look.  
"Hello Angel, or do you prefer Warren?" the man spoke.  
"Hello, sir," Warren assumed that the man had seen his face in magazines or other media, so it wasn't a surprise that you knew his name. Even though Warren had no idea who the man was, he still treated him with respect in case the man might be important.  
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Charles Xavier. I, like you, am a mutant. Although my mutation may not be as obvious as yours, it is equally as interesting."  
Xavier had caught Warren's interest. Another mutant? He had never met another one in his life. Interesting isn't it, Warren?  
Warren looked around for the source of the voice. No one else was in the field except for Xavier. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that he didn't actually hear the voice, but rather it was in his head. Like I said, my powers aren't obvious, but still interesting. He turned his head back to Xavier and a grin crept across his face.  
"Yes, I am telepathic. I can project thoughts into your head and also read them." Angel stiffened up when Xavier mentioned that he could read minds. "I don't need telepathy to know what you're thinking right now, and I can assure you that I don't make it a common practice to read minds without permission. I will only look into your mind if I feel it necessary."  
"Well that's great Mr. Xavier, I'm glad to I know that I can trust you, but I have a feeling that I had a little influence to come out here. Can you tell me why I'm here so that I can back into the sky? I'm kind of urging another flight right now."  
"I'm amazed at your quick thinking. Yes it was me who put the thought in your head to fly here. I have a proposition for you. I am forming a team of mutants that will be the forerunners for the mutant population. Many people, thankfully not the majority, believe that someday mutants will become dangerous. The object of this group that I'm forming would be to show the world the good that mutants can do. I've come to speak to you because I would like you to be the leader of this group."  
This shocked Warren. A man that he had known for a total of five minutes just asked him to not only join, but lead this group he was putting together. Was this guy some crackpot who would kidnap him even if he said no? Why would he want Warren to be the leader?  
Xavier spoke again, "I know this is kind of sudden, but you'll receive a lot of benefits for joining my group. One will be that you'll be surrounded by other mutants your age. You will learn to develop your powers and work together as a team," Warren's attention was devoted to Xavier. Warren hadn't thought of the benefits, and they just seemed to make sense. "And finally you will be the leader of the first mutant team assembled to keep peace between human and mutant. If our goals are fulfilled, then your name will be put in the history books as the mutant that stopped a potential war."  
Warren felt a tingling sensation in his body as he thought of his future. The name Warren Worthington III listed in every history book as the world's hero. Countless books written about him; his picture in newspapers. "I think we should talk to my parents about this."  
  
The Mercedes slowed to a stop as it pulled up to the glorious mansion. Warren marveled at the beauty that was in front of him. Warren had just been driven to a gigantic plot of land that over looked the Atlantic Ocean. A mansion twice the size as his was built on the land, and it didn't even take up the majority of the land. There was a large yard with luscious green grass that welcomed all who came to the mansion. Warren couldn't think of a better place to stay.  
"Well here it is Angel. But before you get too comfy, we have some other mutants to meet. We're leaving for California in an hour." 


	2. Sugar, Spice, and Everything Ice

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Ice  
  
The mall was jam-packed with bargain hunters sweeping through clearance after clearance. Small brawls would break out as two eager shoppers fought over the last item on the shelf. Cashiers were swamped as mobs of customers hurried to buy their merchandise and move on to the next store. The deals were too good to leave alone, and so were the unsuspecting shoppers.  
No one stood out in the sea of faces. Waves of people crashed into each other. The flow of the crowds was easy to get lost. All of these factors made the young Asian mall rat's job much easier than it should have been.  
Jubilation Lee was a fourteen year old orphan in a gold mine. The little blue-eyed beauty was well groomed and wore tight fitting Abercrombie and Fitch apparel. Her black hair was in a pony tail and giant hoops hung from her ears. She was the last person you'd expect to be a thief, which exactly what she was going for.  
Jubilation couldn't believe what she saw. Everywhere she looked there were unwatched purses, wallets that had been dropped, merchandise that was near the entrances to the stores. The mass chaos that was caused by the large discounts made it easy for Jubilation to walk around with a couple of shopping bags grabbing whatever she wanted without being noticed.  
After a good hour Jubilation believed that she had gathered enough money and pricey items that she could go a month or two without having to return. She slowly made her way to the mall exit and made her way across the parking lot. A rush of excitement raced through her body as she walked away from the mall. She had just stolen the biggest load of her life, and she hadn't even been noticed. Or so she thought.  
"Hey you!! Freeze!" shouted a voice from behind her. She spun around and saw two cops running at her with guns. She cursed at herself silently for forgetting that real cops would be guarding the mall today to make sure someone like her didn't escape. She typically didn't like doing what she was about to, but it was necessary.  
Jubilation dropped the bags she had and focused on her hands. Her mind concentrated on the fireworks display that she had seen last Fourth of July. As the images of explosions against the dark sky raced through her mind, sparks started to fly from her hands. In a matter of seconds her hands were glowing with raw energy that was ready to strike. Her first target was the two cops running at her. They had gained a lot of ground, but were being cautious now that they saw what was ahead of them. She whipped out both her hands towards them and a burst of sparks with the explosion equivalent to an M-16 landed in front of the two men. She quickly refocused and started to charge her hands again. She could see the results of her last shot; a small crater had formed where the explosion had landed. A sly grin crept across her face as she devised her next attack. Her arms flew out at right angles to her sides and the energy blasts were released again. They headed right for their targets; the gas tanks of two cars parked near her.  
The explosion could be heard by everyone in the mall. The cars went up in pillar of flames and lit up Jubilation. The strange light that emitted from the fire casts shadows on her that gave her a crazy look, which was exactly how she felt. She turned around and ran towards the street, leaving the bags behind. She didn't mind that her collections were still on the cement behind her, she had put enough cash in her pockets to last her a while. The adrenaline that was coursing through her body gave her so much energy and excitement that she didn't even hear the swooshing sound behind her. She just kept on running along the street, dodging cars whenever she could. All of a sudden she felt a jerk and realized that she was no longer on the ground.  
She frantically looked below trying to figure out what had just happened. Why was she soaring above the city? She looked up and found the answer, which freaked her out even more. A handsome young man with giant white wings was carrying her through the sky and away from the mall. What once was excitement had soon been replaced by fear as he carried her to the top of a tall building.  
He hovered over the roof of the building and dropped her onto it. She fell two feet through the air and landed on both her feet. The man then landed a few feet away from her. His blue eyes stared into hers and she could see a kind soul in him. "Hello Jubilation, my name is Warren."  
  
Xavier wheeled himself into the school office. He was used to getting through doors and into rooms using his wheelchair. He was put into the abominable contraption two years earlier in an accident that he didn't like to talk about much. He didn't like to use it much to begin with, but was forced to learn how when he decided to start his group of young mutants. Right now he was searching for his newest member; a task that's importance far more outweighed the fact that he had to use his wheelchair.  
"Good afternoon," said the woman sitting at the desk. "Are you here to check a student out?"  
"Actually, I'm here to meet with a student about a scholarship to my institute that he is qualified for. Where would I find Robert Drake?"  
The receptionist was shocked "Bobby? He qualified for a scholarship? To what, pop idol training school?"  
"No, it's actually a prestigious school for gifted children. Bobby has amazing abilities that have come to my attention and I would love for him to attend my school. Could you direct me to where he would be?"  
"Well it's almost lunch, so I don't see a point in sending you to his current class. When the lunch bell rings just go out into the main campus and ask any kid out there where Bobby is, they'll know where to point you."  
Xavier went outside of the office and found a spot where he could see the majority of the main quad area. As he stationed himself the bell rang and hundreds of students started to pour into the once vacant area. The sounds of gossip and chatter and the smells of cafeteria and home lunches filled the air.  
Xavier closed his eyes and went into a trance. He typically didn't use his telepathy because he didn't like to infringe on the rights of others privacy. He always believed that mutants should use their powers responsibly, especially when their gifts were as powerful as Xavier's.  
Faces and names poured into Xavier's head as he scanned the area for Bobby. He felt like he was on a bullet train, zooming through a tunnel with lights flashing by. After about a minute he had found Bobby's mind. Xavier saw the brain pattern and locked it away in his mind so that he would be able to find it easier; it was almost like a psychic bookmark.  
It took a few minutes for Xavier to reach the area where Bobby was. A group of boys and girls were eating in the center of the quad. The chatter and actions gave the appearance that they were all paying attention to each other and comfortable with where they were, but Xavier could see the eyes that darted every so often towards the same person, as if to see if they had his approval to talk. This boy was the center of the group, the one who had the say on who was good enough to be in this elite group. Xavier found the boy's dress odd. He was wearing a black leather jacket and matching pants, a pair of Oakleys rested on his face, and his hair was styled similar to a movie star's.  
"Excuse me, but I would like to have a word with Mr. Robert Drake." Xavier said to the group.  
The group turned towards the kid in the center, looking for his reaction. Bobby looked up at Xavier. "I'm here, what do you need?"  
"I would like to speak with you about your special talents."  
  
The situation was getting weirder by the second for Jubilation Lee. How did the mysterious winged man know her name? Hardly anyone knew that she existed, let alone her name. Had this man been stalking her? Was he about to rape her? But as she stared into his eyes she realized that she wasn't in danger.  
"This is kind of awkward." Warren Worthington the Third said. "I think I'll just start the sales pitch that Xavier told me to give you. I'm here on behalf of Charles Xavier and his school for gifted children. The school is going to be a place for mutants, like you and me, to learn how to develop our powers. You'd receive a standard education and education for nearly any career you would like to. And what was the last thing that he wanted me to bring up.oh yeah, you'd have a nice home to live in with kids our age who are also mutants."  
Jubilation's concentration broke at the last sentence. She dropped her defensive stance and let his words process in his mind. "What's the catch?"  
"Umm." Warren paused in thought, "I'm not actually sure. As far as I know there is no catch. I was just recruited the other day so I haven't actually attended the school or anything."  
"Why should I go? There isn't much of an incentive."  
"Well Xavier sounds like a nice guy. This school sounds like a good opportunity too. I mean, I know right now being a mutant is the cool thing and stuff, but where I'm from I was the only mutant. But at Xavier's school we'll be with other mutants our age. We'll all be the same, nothing special."  
A smile cracked on Jubilation's face.  
  
The group around Bobby stared at the bald man in the wheel chair. Their expressions showed their disapproval for the stranger. They looked to Bobby for a sign, and when it came, it wasn't what they expected.  
"Guys, leave." Bobby said with a solemn voice.  
Everyone immediately left. You never ignored or questioned an order from Bobby, it was social suicide. The danglers walked away, meeting up and discussing what was going on with the bald stranger.  
"What do you want?" Bobby asked Xavier.  
"Simply your attention for a short time period while I make you a proposition." Xavier said with a smile.  
"You've got it, now talk."  
"We are both aware that you have special talents, talents that most other people don't have. I also see that you have already started to use them, even if the applications are somewhat strange. I see how a personal air conditioning would allow you to wear you leather clothes whenever you want, and I must say freezing the moisture in your hair to style it is an ingenious application, but I can help you learn different uses. Transportation, offensive and defensive techniques, and so many other things that you can use your powers for. You have amazing potential and all I want to do is help you reach it."  
Bobby looked at Xavier with a somewhat strange look, but changed it back to a more confidant expression. "Well that sounds cool, but I think I can learn that on my own. Anyways, why would I want to leave here? I've got it pretty good if you didn't know."  
Xavier smiled. He had been prepared for something like this. "Well you would be joining the premiere mutant team in the United States. In about a week, the world will find out about it, and then the members of the team will be famous overnight. You know how much the world loves mutants now, imagine being one of the most famous ones in the world. Now if you're willing to give that up to another person on my list, then I guess I better go and stop wasting my time."  
Xavier backed the wheelchair up and pushed himself away from Bobby. A grin was on Xavier's face as he rolled on the pavement. He knew that he would only be pushing himself for a little bit.  
"Wait!" Bobby yelled after Xavier, "I'll join. What do I need to do?"  
"We need to talk to your parents and get their approval. And we need to do it soon because I have an appointment with a Ms. Kitty Pryde tomorrow that I don't want to miss." 


	3. New Friends and Old Enemies

New Friends and Old Enemies  
  
The white Volvo kicked dirt up as it sped through the unpaved road. The novice driver focused on the unpaved road, intent on not making a mistake. Her chestnut hair was tied back into a pony-tail and her hazel eyes were fixed on the path. The girl's mother sat in the passenger seat. Physically the two looked almost identical, but mentally they were quite different. The girl felt that her driving was fine, no matter how fast she was going. Her mother on the other hand felt that she would be seeing her airbag any moment now.  
"Kitty, honey, could you please slow the car down," the mother pleaded, "This is a narrow road and you could fly off it or hit a car coming the opposite direction."  
"Come on mom, we're in a Volvo, if we fly off the road into a tree this car can take it. Anyways, we're miles away from the city and the only thing up this mountain is the mansion. No one's going to come the other way. And the city voted Republican, if a crash costs them a few extra dollars than that's fine by me."  
The mother's knuckles turned white as she gripped her seat. "Just because they voted for a candidate you didn't support doesn't mean you should terrorize their city."  
Kitty rolled her eyes, "Mom, it's hardly terrorizing."  
She kept her outrageous speed going until she reached the mansion. She pulled into the driveway and slammed on the brakes, sending her mother flying forward, almost smashing her face into the glove compartment. Kitty looked at the enormous property with disgust.  
"Look at this giant lot. Imagine how many trees they had to knock down to make this. They probably destroyed hundreds of animal habitats just to build a house for a rich guy."  
"Kitty, you just talked about slamming the Volvo into a tree and not even caring because the tree was strong enough to take it."  
"Well that's different mom."  
Kitty's mom just stood dumfounded. She could only imagine what was going through her daughter's head.  
They walked to the door and were just about to knock when it opened. Kitty's jaw dropped when she saw the person in the door way. In front of her was the best looking guy she had met in her high school life. She stared into his deep blue eyes and almost didn't notice the beautiful wings on his back.  
"Hi," the boy spoke, "My name's Warren Worthington the Third. Xavier told me you were coming so I decided to welcome you."  
Kitty just stared at Warren. There was a long pause which started to get awkward until Kitty's mom broke the silence. "Hi, my name's Theresa Pryde, and this is my daughter Katherine."  
"Hi Katherine." Warren said.  
  
".just call me..." she searched for her name, ".Kitty."  
"Well Kitty, welcome to Xavier's mansion." Warren then closed his eyes and stood as if he were listening closely to some far off music or sound. "All right, Xavier just contacted me and said that I should show you two in right away. Please follow me."  
Warren turned and walked further into the mansion. Kitty's mom grew a mocking smile as she looked at Kitty follow closely behind him. Warren led them to a room that Theresa assumed was the living room, yet it was much larger. There was a big screen plasma television with a home theater system on one wall, three couches facing the wall that the TV was on, landscapes of areas from around the world lined the walls, and magazines of all sorts sat on the coffee table between the line of couches and the TV.  
There were two people already in the room. An Asian girl sat on one of the couches reading "Seventeen" and drinking root beer. Across from her there was a boy wearing sunglasses reading a skateboarding magazine, but he kept on stealing looks at the girl.  
"So Jubilee, I can call you Jubilee right?, when can I plan on taking you to a movie?" the boy in the sunglasses asked the Asian.  
The girl didn't even look up from her magazine when she replied, "When hell freezes over kid." She then took a sip from the root beer can in her hand and went back to reading.  
This didn't discern the boy's spirit though. A smirk crept across his face as he raised his hand and extended his finger so that it was pointing at the can. A crackling sound came from inside the can, and, suddenly, it exploded as the ice inside it burst through it. "I can arrange that."  
A man in a wheelchair rolled into the room, "Excuse me Bobby, but if you're going to use your powers in that way please clean it up. Thank you for showing them the way Warren," the man in the wheelchair said as he turned his attention to the visitors, "Hello Theresa and Kitty, my name is Charles Xavier. I am glad that you have come to my mansion."  
"Thank you for inviting us Mr. Xavier." Theresa replied.  
"No need for formalities, please, call me Charles. Now Kitty, tell me about your gifts."  
Kitty was still staring at Warren and had to be nudged by her mother in able to break out of it. "Oh.well it started about a month ago when I fell through my bed after getting off a bad phone conversation with my ex- boyfriend. Ever since then I've started walking and falling through objects. It never works when I want it to, and when it does work it's exactly when I don't want to. I've seen some stuff that I'd rather not discuss right now."  
"Well that's understandable, and that's why we want you. Along with joining the premiere group of mutants you will be educated both in academic learning and power training. And being such a breakthrough in human/mutant relations, the opinions and political views of our members will be given much heed."  
"Well that's good," Theresa said, "Kitty enjoys politics and is quite outspoken when it comes to open forums."  
Xavier smiled, "Well that's just what we're looking for; someone who will speak their mind when it comes to our political matters. Now if you could." Xavier was cut off by a ring coming from his breast pocket.  
He pulled a cell phone out of his breast pocket and answered. "Xavier...yes.ok, I'll go there right away." He closed his cell phone and returned his attention to his guests, "I'm sorry that I have to cut this meeting short, but I have just been told the location of a relative of mine who I haven't seen in a while, and I can't pass up a chance to speak with him because of the important things I need to talk to him about. But if you could just sign these papers."  
  
The noises of the construction yard filled the ears of the young worker. To him it was heaven to left heavy things for a living. For a normal construction worker he was breaking all of the rules. His large, well-defined body was visible to everyone because he had no shirt on, for not many fit a man his size, he wasn't wearing a hard hat, and he was lifting loads that ten men could barely lift. Of course, he wasn't a normal construction worker, he was a mutant.  
The worker felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. His foreman was standing behind him with a walkie-talkie, signaling that there was someone on it who wanted to talk to him. He took the walkie-talkie and moved to a quieter area.  
"'Lo," the worker muttered.  
"Cain?" the cracky voice came through the speaker, "We have someone at the front desk looking for you. Says his name is Charles Xavier. Know him?"  
A low growl emitted from Cain's throat. "Never heard of him before. Tell him to leave," he said angrily.  
There was a pause on the other end. After a moment the silence was broken by a new voice. "Cain, I would just like to speak with you for a moment."  
Cain's anger grew. He had no desire to speak with his visitor, but he knew that he wouldn't leave until he said what he anted. So Cain walked to the reception building and saw Xavier sitting in the lobby.  
"What do you want?" Cain didn't even try to hide the spite in his voice.  
"Hello Cain. Wow, I haven't seen you for a while. How tall are you now?" Xavier tried to calm Cain down by not going directly into his recruiting speech.  
But Cain didn't like how Xavier was avoiding his point, "Seven foot even. Now cut the crap and tell me what you want so I can tell you no and get back to work."  
"Well I guess you don't want to sit around in idle chat, so I'll tell you why I'm here. I'm putting together a team of mutants who will help keep my dream of peace between mutants and humans alive. I would like you to join as our power-house."  
"Not interested." Cain said and turned for the door.  
Xavier thought quickly of something to say. "Cain, please, you'd be able to gain an education, you wouldn't have to work in construction. You'd be around kids about your age. I just want to help you out."  
Cain didn't care about Xavier's speech, but the last line struck a chord. "You just want to help me out!?!" he exploded, "Where were you ten years ago when my dad died, Uncle Chuck? You didn't want to help then!"  
"I couldn't help you then," Xavier said quietly, "I didn't have time and money to support a kid."  
"Oh, but now you can support a whole team of them?"  
"You don't understand what I was going through back then."  
Cain's fury kept on growing with every comment Xavier made. "I don't understand your troubles? Do you know what I think of when I remember you, my only living relative? I think of the guy who gave me Darwin's Origin of the Species for my seventh birthday. I think of the guy who said, 'I'm sorry about your dad' and left me in an orphanage when I was nine."  
"I'm sorry about all of that, but I want to make it up to you. I can give you an education."  
"An education? Why would I want to go back to school? I dropped-out the day I turned sixteen and came to work for this construction company. I get paid so much because my mutant strength and invulnerability save this company big bucks on machinery and labor. There's no way I'd leave all of this for you, especially since you're afraid of the family name. Don't you think someone will eventually find Charles Marko's and the Marko family's dark past and link it with you? Or maybe if someone just needs a push in the right direction to find it."  
Xavier's expression changed from shame to fear. "I think I better go if you're not interested."  
"Yeah, maybe you better."  
Charlse wheeled himself back to his car where his chofer was waiting. The whole time Cain had a victorious grin on his face.  
"He deserved that so much. Hopefully he'll get more one day. If he does, it will be me giving it to him."  
Cain turned around to the door that led to the quarry. he pushed on it, but it wouldn't open. He rattled the handle until it broke off. He was getting ready to smash the door when it flew open. On the other side stood a man in a gray trench coat and a fedora with white hair underneath it.  
"You want to get back at your uncle? I can help you do it, just give me five minutes to explain to you what I want."  
  
Xavier picked up his cell phone and pushed speed-dial. "Hello? I talked with Cain, he's not interested. Who's next on the list?" 


End file.
